Automatic control system for car accessory

ABSTRACT

An automatic control system is provided that allows a driver to decide whether some or all of an automatic control content for accessory devices for an automobile is to be executed. Trigger information for performing automatic control is detected by a detecting circuit such as a navigation system 12 and, on the basis of the detected trigger information, control contents are established at a control circuit 20, and the established control contents are announced to the driver through the navigation system 12 and an audio system 16. The driver replies to each of the corresponding announced contents (the contents to be automatically controlled) by operating an answer switch 100. At the control section 20, automatic control is performed in accordance with results of replies from the driver operating the answer switch 100.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an automatic control system foraccessory devices for an automobile, which performs automatic control ofthe accessory devices for the automobile, such as electrical componentsfor the automobile, using a navigation system, various kinds of sensors,and the like.

CONVENTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

In recent years, automatic control technology has been incorporated intoelectrical components for automobiles, and electrical components havingautomatic control functions have increased. For example, in a case inwhich an automobile is AT (Automatic Transmission), there is anautomatic control system in which a condition of the automobile isjudged by a position of a shift lever and, by pressing a button providedat the shift lever, with a single action, batch control of a variety ofthe functions set in advance is performed and driver operations neededfor each condition are reduced. With this automatic control system, bypressing the button, the batch controls of various kinds of functionswhich will be described as follows can be performed. By pressing thisbutton in a case in which the position of the AT shift is in P (Parking)range, door lock release, seatbelt buckle release, door mirrorretraction, turning on of a courtesy lamp, rear sliding of a seat, seatside support loosening, and the like are performed as a batch. In a casein which the position of the AT shift is in R (Reverse) range,correction of downward field of vision of a left door mirror, seatbelttension release, rearview mirror anti-glare release, and the like and,in a case in which the position of the AT shift is in D (Drive) range,door mirror returning, turning off of the courtesy lamp, door locking,and the like are batch-controlled.

Further, in an automatic control system using a navigation system, forexample, at a time of entering a tunnel, upon receiving a tunnelinformation from the navigation system, a variety of functions whichhave been set in advance such as turning lights on, closing doorwindows, switching an air conditioner from intake of outside air tocirculation of inside air, and the like are batch-controlled.

However, conventional automatic control systems for accessory devicesfor automobiles have performed not control on the basis of the wishes ofall drivers, but control referred to average feelings of drivers, andcontrol which meets the wishes of respective drivers has not always beendone. Accordingly, an automatic control system for accessory devices foran automobile which enables control that easily reflects the wishes of adriver is required.

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above-describedproblem, and an object of the present invention is to provide anautomatic control system for accessory devices for an automobile inwhich a function whereby a driver can decide with respect toadvisability of automatic control for accessory devices for theautomobile is added and control which reflects the wishes of the driveris possible.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An automatic control system for accessory devices for an automobilewhich automatically controls a plurality of accessory devices for theautomobile, which are disposed at the automobile, in accordance with apredetermined condition is the invention recited in claim 1, comprising:a detecting means which detects trigger information for startingautomatic control; a control means which stores a plurality of automaticcontrol contents, each of which is a combination of automatic controlitems for the accessory devices for the automobile, determines anautomatic control content on the basis of the trigger informationdetected by the detecting means, and performs control of the accessorydevices for the automobile in accordance with the automatic controlcontent; an announcing means which announces the automatic controlcontent to be performed by the control means before automatic control isperformed; and an input means for inputting a reply concerningadvisability of implementation of the automatic control contentannounced by the announcing means, wherein automatic control isperformed in accordance with the reply that is input at the input means.

According to the invention recited in claim 1, in the automatic controlsystem for accessory devices for the automobile which automaticallycontrols the plurality of accessory devices for the automobile disposedat the automobile in accordance with the predetermined conditions, thetrigger information is detected with the detecting means such as anavigation system, sensors, and the like that detects the triggerinformation needed for starting (performing) control of the accessorydevices for the automobile, at the control means, from the plurality ofautomatic control contents which have been stored (set) in advance, theautomatic control contents to be controlled are established on the basisof the trigger information detected by the detecting means and automaticcontrol for the accessory devices for the automobile is performed, andthe automatic control content established by the control means isannounced by the announcing means. The reply concerning the yes-no ofimplementation of the announced content (the automatic control contentor, in other words, respective automatic control items) is input at theinput means and, at the control means, automatic control is performed onthe basis of results of input at the input means. In this way, byannouncing the automatic controls content by the announcing means andinputting the advisability of implementation for the content at theinput means, control in which the driver's wishes are reflected can beperformed easily, and the driver can drive without feeling annoyancewith controls that go against his or her operating wishes. Also, if theinput means is disposed at a position where the driver can operate iteasily, every operation can be performed quickly and, if the input meansis disposed at a position where the driver and occupants can operate it,control that also reflects the occupants wishes can be performed.

The invention according to claim 2 is the automatic control system foraccessory devices for the automobile recited in claim 1, wherein thedetecting means is a navigation system which determines the location ofthe automobile.

The invention according to claim 3 is the automatic control system foraccessory devices for the automobile recited in claim 2, wherein thetrigger information is map information associated with the location ofthe automobile which is transmitted from the navigation system.

In accordance with the invention according to claims 2 and 3, thedetecting means which detects the trigger information for performingautomatic control is the navigation system which locates the location ofthe automobile and performs guidance to a destination and, by utilizingthe map information associated (attached) with the automobile locationthat is transmitted from the navigation system as the triggerinformation, the automatic control content for the plurality ofaccessory devices for the automobile disposed at the automobile isestablished. Further, the established automatic control content isannounced to the driver by the announcing means, and the driver performsreplies with respect to the advisability of implementation of theannounced automatic control content by the input means. In this way,control that reflects the driver's wishes can be performed. Therefore,the driver can drive without feeling annoyance with controls that goagainst his or her operating wishes. For example, if tunnel informationhas been obtained from the navigation system as trigger information, ifthe automatic control content including items such as closing windows,turning lights on, switching an air conditioner to inside air and thelike, has been established, the automatic control content (therespective automatic control items) are announced to the driver. Byperforming replies with respect to the advisability of implementation ofthe announced automatic control content (each automatic control item)via the input means, control in which the driver's wishes are reflectedcan be performed.

The invention according to claim 4 is the automatic control system foraccessory devices for the automobile recited in claim 1, wherein theinput means is formed by two operating sections which are YES and NO.

In accordance with the invention recited in claim 4, the input meansincludes two operating sections which are YES and NO and, by simplebinary decisions, the wishes of the driver can be reflected. Forexample, if the two switches which are YES and NO are disposed at asteering wheel, the driver replies to the content announced by theannouncing means by operating the two switches, and if control in amanner appropriate to the reply is performed, control in which thewishes of the driver are reflected can be performed without operation ofmany switches. Further, if the above-described YES/NO switches aredisposed at an operating section of the navigation system or the like,operation not only by the driver but also by an occupant sitting in apassenger seat is enabled and control in which the wishes of theoccupant are also reflected can be performed.

The present invention according to claim 5 is the automatic controlsystem for accessory devices for the automobile recited in claim 1,wherein the input means includes at least a voice recognition sectionwhich does not impede driving.

In accordance with the invention recited in claim 5, the input meansincludes a voice recognition section which recognizes a voice of thedriver and is capable of reflecting the wishes of the driver from thevoice of the driver. For example, if a voice recognition section whichrecognizes a voice, “YES” and “NO” or “O.K.” and “not O.K.”, isprovided, and the driver replies “YES” and “NO” or “O.K.” and “not O.K.”or the like by his or her voice to the contents announced by theannouncing means, and control in accordance with the replies isperformed, control in which the wishes of the driver are reflected canbe performed without operation of switches. Further, by means of thevoice recognition section, replies to the announcing means can be madeto reflect the wishes not only of the driver but also of the occupant.

The present invention according to claim 6 is the automatic controlsystem for accessory devices for the automobile recited in claim 1,wherein each automatic control item includes an automatically controlledaccessory devices for the automobile and operations of the automaticallycontrolled accessory devices for the automobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are block diagrams that illustrate structure of anautomatic control system for accessory devices for an automobilerelating to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing that illustrates schematic vehicle mountingpositions for the automatic control system for accessory devices for theautomobile.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are drawings that illustrate answer switchesdisposed at a steering wheel.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are flow charts which show flows of processing ofthe automatic control system for accessory devices for the automobilerelating to the present embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, an example of an embodiment ofthe present invention will be described in detail. This embodimentapplies the present invention to an automatic control system in which anavigation system is utilized.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are block diagrams that illustrate structure of anautomatic control system 10 for accessory devices for an automobilerelating to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates schematic vehicle mountingpositions for the automatic control system 10 for accessory devices forthe automobile.

The automatic control system 10 for accessory devices for the automobileof the embodiment of the present invention is a system which performsautomatic control of accessory equipment (electrical components) mountedat an automobile using information of a navigation system 12, and thestructure thereof is formed by the navigation system 12, a VICS (VehicleInformation & Communication System) device 14, an audio visual system16, a control section 20 which performs automatic control, answer switch100 and various kinds of electrical components attached to theautomobile. Examples of the various kinds of electrical componentsattached to the automobile include a power window actuator 22 foropening and closing windows, a sunroof actuator 24 for opening andclosing a sunroof, an air conditioner inside/outside air switchingactuator 26 which switches the air conditioner between inside andoutside air, lights 28, a door lock actuator 30 for opening and closingdoor locks, hazard lights 32, a filler lock actuator 34 for opening andclosing a filler cap, door mirrors 36, an antenna retracting actuator38, a trip meter 40, a wiper amplifier 42, and the like.

The navigation system 12 is formed in a manner such that all operationscan be performed at a display & operation panel 44 which is also forperforming operation of the audio system 16, such as a TV, a cassetteplayer 80, a CD changer 78, and the like. Moreover, these operations canbe performed in a remote operation manner by an occupant with a remotecontroller 52.

The display & operation panel 44 is disposed at a central portion of aninstrument panel and is formed by panel switches and touch switcheswhich are operated by touching a screen with a finger. A display sectionof the display & operation section 44 incorporates a color liquidcrystal panel, can display TV images and computer output images, and hasa back light, at which a cold cathode tube (fluorescent lamp) is used,built in at a back side of the color liquid crystal panel.

A navigation computer 46 connected to the display & operation panel 44is disposed at a trunk, and controls navigation functions which locatesa location of said automobile, performs display of the location of theautomobile on a map, and notifies route guidance information to adestination by means of the map and a guiding voice. That is, thenavigation computer 46 reads data by a CD-ROM player built in at thenavigation computer 46 from a CD-ROM 50 at which map information screendata, guiding voice data, and destination location data are recorded,and outputs data to the display & operation panel 44. Further, thenavigation computer 46 receives signals from a GPS satellite, which isdisposed at an altitude of approximately 20,000 km in outer space, at aGPS antenna 48 disposed at a parcel board behind a rear seat, determinesa current location, and displays the location of the automobile togetherwith map information recorded at the CD-ROM 50 on the display of thedisplay & operation panel 44. Further, the guiding voice data read fromthe CD-ROM 50 by the navigation computer 46 is output by voice by theaudio system 16, which will be described later.

Continuing, structure of the VICS device 14 will be described. VICS is aroad traffic information system and is a system which provides roadtraffic information such as traffic jam and traffic restrictions,parking area information, journey time information and the like,directly to a device mounted at the automobile in real time. For thisinformation, information of surface roads is collected by respectivepolice authorities of metropolitan areas and prefectures and informationof highways is collected by respective road administrators, passedthrough Japan Road Traffic Information Center Foundation, processed inVICS Center Foundation and provided to the device mounted at theautomobile by respective media (radio beacons, optical beacons and FMmultiplex broadcasts). This device mounted at the automobile is the VICSdevice 14, and this VICS device 14 is formed by a radio/optical beaconantenna 62 disposed at a top face of the instrument panel at a passengerseat side in order to receive radio beacons transmitted at devicesinstalled at highways and the like by the road administrators andoptical beacons transmitted at devices installed at surface roads by thepolice authorities of metropolitan areas and prefectures; an FMmultiplex broadcast antenna 60 for receiving FM multiplex broadcasts;and a VICS computer 58 disposed at the trunk in order to demodulate VICSinformation received from the respective media and transfer informationto the navigation computer 46.

The information obtained at the VICS device 14 is output to thenavigation computer 46, processed by the navigation computer 46,displayed on the display & operation panel 44 together with the mapinformation and the route guidance information, and made into voiceguidance via the audio system 16.

The audio system 16 is formed in a manner such that the cassette player80, the CD changer 78, and a multi-tuner 70 are connected to an audiopre-amplifier 64 which performs various kinds of adjustment such assound quality, left and right balance, fader, tone, and the like, andsound signals from the cassette player 80, CD changer 78, multi-tuner70, navigation computer 46 and the like are output from thepre-amplifier 64 to an audio power amplifier 66. Further, the audiopre-amplifier 64, the audio power amplifier 66, and the multituner 70are disposed at the trunk, the cassette player 80 is built-in at thedisplay & operation panel, and the CD changer 78 is disposed at a glovebox.

Further, the audio power amplifier 66 is connected to speakers 68, andthe various kinds of sound signals described above are amplified andoutput from the speakers 66 as sound. Also, the multi-tuner 70 isconnected to the FM multiplex broadcast antenna 60, a VTR adapter 76, aTV antenna amplifier 72, and the display & operation panel 44. The TVantenna amplifier 72 which is disposed at a rear pillar is connected toa TV antenna 74, and the multi-tuner 70 outputs image signals of a TVbroadcast radio signal received from the TV antenna 74, which is affixedto a rear window, to the display of the display & operation panel 44 andperforms output of sound signals to the audio pre-amplifier 64. Further,the multi-tuner 70 performs output of an FM multiplex broadcast radiosignal received from the FM multiplex broadcast antenna 60 to the audiopre-amplifier 64. Further, by connecting a video terminal and an audioterminal of a home audio appliance such as a portable home video taperecorder or the like to the VTR adapter 76 which is connected to themulti-tuner 70, display of VTR images at the display & operation panel44 and sound output to the speakers 68 via the audio pre-amplifier 64and the audio power amplifier 66 are enabled.

In the automatic control system 10 for accessory devices for theautomobile of the present embodiment, a control section 20 is providedfor controlling various kinds of accessory devices for the automobileand the control section 20 is connected to the various kinds ofaccessory devices for the automobile. Moreover, to this control section20, the navigation system 12 and, via the navigation system 12, the VICSdevice 14 are connected such that external information is obtained, andthe audio system 16 is connected as well. The control section 20, by theexternal information obtained from the navigation system 12, establishesthe contents of automatic control to be performed and, via thenavigation computer 46, displays messages of the automatic controlcontents on the display of the display & operation panel 44, and givesvoice guidance via the audio system 16.

Further, the control section 20 is formed provided with a memory 18 anda CPU 19, automatic control contents (automatic control items)appropriate to conditions are stored in the memory 18 in advance, andautomatic control appropriate to operation of the answer switch 100which will be described later is performed at the CPU 19. Further,current states (before automatic control is performed) of the variouskinds of accessory devices for the automobile (for example, open orclosed state of windows, on or off state of lights, wiper operationstate, and the like) are stored at the memory 18 such that the accessorydevices for the automobile, after implementation of automatic controlare returned, to original states, specifically the states before theautomatic control is performed.

Further, the automatic control system 10 for accessory devices for theautomobile of the present embodiment inputs a speed signal from a speedsensor 56, which is disposed at a transmission, to the navigationcomputer 46 via a combination meter 54 and restrict the operation suchthat a part of the operation of the display & operation panel 44 is notperformed at a time of travelling.

Further, to the control section 20 are connected the answer switch 100,which are formed by two switches, a YES switch 102 and a NO switch 104and which are disposed at a steering wheel 106 as illustrated in FIG. 3Aand FIG. 3B for replying YES or NO to questions from the guiding voiceconcerning the contents of automatic control. Also, switches that havethe same function as the answer switch 100 are provided on the remotecontroller 52 and the display & operation panel 44. Therefore, not onlythe driver but also the occupant can reply YES or NO as described above.Here, the switches having the same function as the answer switch 100provided on the remote controller 52 and the display & operation panel44 may have a structure the same as the answer switch 100 or, forexample, a volume switch or the like may have the same function as theanswer switch 100.

The following are examples of the automatic control performed with theautomatic control system 10 for accessory devices for the automobile inthe embodiment of the present invention.

A. In a case in which tunnel information is obtained from the navigationsystem 12, the auto-control system 10 warns of the presence of thetunnel, turns the lights 28 on, closes the windows and sunroof, switchesthe air conditioner to inside air (circulation), switches audio to radiotraffic information and switches the wipers to stopped state orintermittent operation, and after passing through the tunnel, returnsthe respective accessory devices for the automobile to the originalstates.

B. In a case in which toll gate information is obtained from thenavigation system 12, the auto-control system 10 warns of the presenceof the toll gate, opens a driver side window, closes other windows andthe sunroof, turns volume of the audio down and temporarily stops thewipers, and after passing through the toll gate, returns the respectiveaccessory devices for the automobile to the original states.

C. In a case in which gas station information is obtained from thenavigation system 12 and the vehicle stops at a gas station, theauto-control system 10 opens the driver side window, opens the fillercap, resets the trip meter 40, turns the lights 28 off, and plays aguiding voice which is a registered voice such as “regular, fill it up,and do the ash tray, please” and the like.

D. In a case in which railroad crossing information is obtained from thenavigation system 12, the auto-control system 10 warns of the presenceof the railroad crossing, slightly opens the driver side window andturns the volume of the audio down, and after passing through therailroad crossing, returns the respective accessory devices for theautomobile to the original states.

E. In a case in which destination arrival information is obtained fromthe navigation system 12 and the vehicle is stopped, the auto-controlsystem 10 closes the windows and the sunroof, releases the door locks,retracts the door mirrors 36, and turns the lights 28 off.

F. While travelling a highway, in a case in which traffic jaminformation for the road being driven along is obtained from the VICSdevice 14 and the navigation system 12 and a brake is applied for apredetermined period of time, the auto-control system 10 turns thehazard lights 32 on. In addition, in this case, it is necessary to inputswitching information of a brake switch to the control section 20. Itshould be noted that in A-F, for example, “turns the lights 28 on” in Asignifies that the lights are turned on in a case in which the lights 28have not been turned on and, in a case in which the lights 28 havealready been turned on, the turned on condition of the lights 28 ispreserved.

Next, operation of the present embodiment for a case in which automaticcontrol of the above-described A is performed will be described withreference to the flow charts of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.

Correspondence among modes performed in the present embodiment, contentsof the modes, and flags corresponding to the modes in the flow charts ofFIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are described in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Mode Flag Contents of mode Initial 0 Initial state Full-Auto 1All automatic control items are executed Cancel 2 All automatic controlitems are canceled Semi-Auto 3 Respective automatic control items areperformed on the basis of the driver's decision, for each automaticcontrol item, as to whether the automatic control item should beperformed. Implementation 4 Automatic control is being implemented

If tunnel information is input from the navigation system 12 to thecontrol section 20 in step 200, the routine moves to step 202, and it isdetermined whether a tunnel mode flag is 0 (flag 0: initial state). In acase in which the determination of step 202 is positive, i.e. the flagis 0, the routine moves to step 204. In step 204, from the informationof the navigation system 12, whether the vehicle is close to enteringthe tunnel is determined. Step 200 to step 204 will be repeated untilthe determination of step 204 is positive. When the determination ofstep 204 is positive, i.e. the vehicle is close to entering the tunnel,the routine moves to subsequent step 206. At step 206, tunnel exitinformation is shown and, in subsequent step 208, voice guidance suchas, “Entering a tunnel. Shall I execute the tunnel customize function(the automatic control for accessory devices for the automobile whichhas been set in advance) ?” is played and the same message is displayedon the display of the display & operation panel 44, to inform thedriver. Subsequently, in step 210, whether the driver presses the answerswitch 100 within a predetermined time is determined. In a case in whichthe driver presses the answer switch 100 within the predetermined time,step 210 is determined to be positive and the routine moves to step 212and, in a case in which the driver does not press the answer switch 100within the predetermined time, the routine moves to step 226. Further,in step 212, in a case in which the driver pressed the YES switch 102 ofthe answer switch 100 in step 210, the routine moves to step 214 and, ina case in which the driver pressed the NO switch 104, the routine movesto step 228.

In step 214, voice guidance such as “Shall I perform the auto-customizefunction ?” is provided to the driver, and in subsequent step 216, thedetermination of the driver is input. In step 216, if the driver gives anegative determination by the answer switch 100, the routine moves tostep 230, and if the driver performs a positive determination, theroutine moves to step 218.

In step 218, states of the accessory devices for the automobile in thecurrent condition (open/closed windows, lights on/off, inside/outsideair at the air conditioner, use/non-use of the wipers, and the like) isread and stored at the memory 18 of the control section 20. Then, instep 220, automatic control content for a tunnel mode which have beenstored in the memory 18 of the control section 20 in advance are readand, in step 222, while the respective automatic control items of theautomatic control content is being implemented, the driver is informedthat automatic control is being performed, by messages displayed on thedisplay of the display & operation panel 44 and voice guidance. Insubsequent step 224, a mode is set to flag 4 (the tunnel mode is beingimplemented) and the routine is returned to step 200.

On the other hand, in a case in which the driver does not press theanswer switch 100 in step 210 for whether or not the tunnel customizefunction is to be performed, the routine moves onto step 226 and themode is set to flag 1 (full auto mode), and the routine is returned tostep 200. Further, in step 212, if the driver presses the NO switch 104of the answer switch 100, the flag of the mode becomes 2 (automaticcontrol cancel mode) and routine is returned to step 200. Further, atstep 216, in a case in which the driver performs a negativedetermination with the answer switch 100, the mode is set to flag 3(semi-auto mode) in step 230 and the routine is returned to step 200.

When the flag is set to one of 1, 2, 3, and 4 in steps 224, 226, 228,and 230 and the routine is returned to step 200, subsequent step 202 hasa negative determination and the routine moves to step 232.

In step 232, whether the flag is 4 (automatic control is beingimplemented) is determined and, in cases other than a case in which theflag is 4 (automatic control is being implemented), the routine moves tostep 234 and it is determined whether or not the vehicle has come toimmediately before a tunnel. Here, when it is determined that thevehicle has come to immediately before a tunnel, the routine moves tostep 236 and whether the flag is 2 (automatic control cancel mode) isdetermined. In a case in which the flag is not 2 (automatic controlcancel mode) at step 236, in subsequent step 238 whether the flag is 3(semi-auto mode) is further determined and, in a case in which the flagis not 3 (semi-auto mode), i.e. the flag is 1 (full-auto mode), theroutine moves to step 218, automatic control from step 218 till step 224is performed as described above and the routine is returned to step 200.That is, in a case in which the driver does not operate the answerswitch 100 in step 210 (flag 1), the automatic control content (therespective automatic control items) stored in advance are executed asthe fullauto mode.

Further, if the flag is determined to be 4 (automatic control is beingimplemented) in step 232, the routine moves to step 240, in step 240,the information of the navigation system 12 is used to determine an exitof the tunnel or not and, if it is determined that it is an exit of thetunnel, the routine moves to step 242, the states of the accessorydevices for the automobile stored prior to performing automatic controlare read from the memory 18, the states of the accessory devices for theautomobile are returned to the original states and, in subsequent step244, initial state flag 0 (the initial state) is set and the routine isreturned to step 200. Further, in step 240, if it is determined that itis not the exit of the tunnel, the routine is returned to step 200 and,until the exit of the tunnel is determined, steps 200, 202, 232, and 240are performed.

On the other hand, in step 234, if not being immediately before thetunnel is determined, the routine is returned to step 200, and steps200, 202, 232, and 234 are repeated until being immediately before thetunnel is determined.

Further, if the flag is determined to be 2 (automatic control cancelmode) in step 236, the routine moves to step 244, the flag returns tothe initial state, 0, and the routine is returned to step 200.

Further, if the flag is determined to be 3 (semi-auto mode) in step 238,the routine moves to step 246, the states of the accessory devices forthe automobile in the current condition (open/closed windows, lightson/off, inside/outside air at the air conditioner, use/non-use of thewipers, and the like) is read and stored at the memory 18 at the controlsection 20, and the routine moves to step 248. In step 248, while voiceguidance for each the automatic control item such as “Shall I turn thelights on?”is played, display of messages at the display of the display& operation panel 44 is performed and the driver is asked about theadvisability of each automatic control item. In step 250, the driveroperates the answer switch 100 and determines the advisability of eachautomatic control item. In step 252, each automatic control of itemaffirmed at step 250 is performed and, while voice guidance such as, forexample, “Turning the lights on.” is performed, messages are displayedon the display of the display & operation panel 44. Further, in a casein which an item is negated at step 250, in step 254 the negatedautomatic control item is canceled and a message is displayed on thedisplay of the display & operation panel while voice guidance such as“Turning on of lights canceled.” is performed.

Subsequently, in step 256, whether setting of all automatic controlitems has ended is determined, processings of step 248 to step 254 arecarried out until setting of all automatic control items has ended, andwhen setting of all automatic control items is completed, the routinemoves to the step 204, the flag is set to 4 (automatic control is beingimplemented) and the routine is returned to step 200. When the flag isset to 4 (automatic control is being implemented) and the routine isreturned to step 200, steps 240 to 244 are executed as described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the settings for thesemi-auto mode and the full-auto mode have been made using the flags 3and 4 but, in response to the condition (the condition based on thetrigger information) (a railroad crossing, highway, and the like),setting for only semi-auto mode or only full-auto mode may be done, aprocessing routine for one of flag 3 and flag 4 may be omitted and aburden of the driver may be reduced.

Further, in the aforementioned embodiment, the display messages andvoice guidance for the automatic control items of step 248 arequestioning messages and voice guidance, but positive messages and voiceguidance such as “Turning on the lights 28.” may be used and, in a casein which operation of the answer switch 100 is not performed within thepredetermined time, the wish of the driver is determined to be YES andautomatic control may be performed. Further, the answer switch 100includes two switches, the YES switch 102 and the NO switch 104, but ina case in which all display messages and voice guidance are set to bepositive as described above and the driver's wish is determined to beYES if switch operation is not performed within the predetermined time,the answer switch 100 can include only a single switch, and driveroperations can be simplified.

Further, the answer switch 100 in the embodiment of the presentinvention enable broad uses. For example, when opening/closing windowsand the like at a highway toll gate and the like, information of thetoll gate is obtained from the navigation system 12 and, by a positivemessage such as “Entering power window switch mode.”, the answer switch100 change to a power window switch and it becomes possible for a driverto operate without removing a hand from the steering wheel 106. Further,at this time, a switch knob display of the answer switch 100 may bechanged. In this way, in a case in which there is an operation at apredetermined place, a control in which a switch is changed to anotherswitch and the like may be performed.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the wishes of the driver arereflected by means of the answer switch. However, the wishes of thedriver may be reflected at a voice recognition section which detects avoice such as the driver's voice, “YES”, “NO” and the like.

Further, the present embodiment has a structure in which the triggerinformation for performing automatic control is obtained from thenavigation system, but is not limited to this structure; a variety ofsensors and the like may be used for obtaining trigger information.

In accordance with the present invention, as described above, by addinga function in which the driver can decide with respect to whether or notautomatic control for the accessory devices for the automobile is to beexecuted, an excellent effect of enabling control that reflects thedriver's wishes easily is provided.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automatic control system for accessory devicesfor an automobile which automatically controls a plurality of theaccessory devices for the automobile, which are disposed at theautomobile, in accordance with a predetermined condition, comprising: adetecting circuit which detects trigger information for startingautomatic control; a control circuit which stores a plurality ofautomatic control contents, each of which is a combination of automaticcontrol items for the accessory devices for the automobile, determinesan automatic control content on the basis of the trigger informationdetected by the detecting circuit, and performs control of the accessorydevices for the automobile in accordance with the automatic controlcontent; an announcing section which announces the automatic controlcontent to be performed by the control circuit before automatic controlis performed; and, an input circuit for inputting a reply concerningadvisability of implementation of all or some of the automatic controlcontent announced by the announcing section; wherein the automaticcontrol is performed in accordance with the reply that is inputted atthe input circuit.
 2. The automatic control system for accessory devicesfor the automobile according to claim 1, wherein the detecting circuitis a navigation system which locates location of the automobile.
 3. Theautomatic control system for accessory devices for the automobileaccording to claim 2, wherein the trigger information is map informationassociated with the location of the automobile which is transmitted fromthe navigation system.
 4. The automatic control system for accessorydevices for the automobile according to claim 1, wherein the inputcircuit is formed by two operating sections which are YES and NO.
 5. Theautomatic control system for accessory devices for the automobileaccording to claim 1, wherein the input circuit includes at least avoice recognition section which does not impede driving.
 6. Theautomatic control system for accessory devices for the automobileaccording to claim 1, wherein each automatic control item includes anautomatically controlled accessory device for the automobile andoperations of the automatically controlled accessory devices of theautomobile.
 7. An automatic control system for accessory devices for anautomobile which automatically controls a plurality of the accessorydevices for the automobile, which are disposed at the automobile, inaccordance with a predetermined condition, comprising: a detectingcircuit which detects trigger information for starting automaticcontrol; a control circuit which stores a plurality of automatic controlcontents, each of which is a combination of automatic control items forthe accessory devices for the automobile, determines an automaticcontrol content on the basis of the trigger information detected by thedetecting circuit, and performs control of the accessory devices for theautomobile in accordance with the automatic control content; anannouncing section which announces the automatic control content to beperformed by the control circuit before automatic control is performed,and an input circuit for inputting a yes or no reply with respect toimplementation of the automatic control content announced by theannouncing section; wherein the automatic control system has: a fullautomatic mode in which all automatic control items included in thedetermined automatic control content are performed; a semiautomatic modein which some automatic control items included in the determinedautomatic control content, which are chosen by a person in the vehicle,are performed, wherein the person in the vehicle can select the fullautomatic mode or the semiautomatic mode.
 8. An automatic control systemfor accessory devices for an automobile according to claim 7, wherein inthe semiautomatic mode, each of the automatic control items included inthe determined automatic control content is announced by the announcingsection and the person in the vehicle inputs a yes or no reply withrespect to implementation of each of the automatic control items to theinput circuit.